Fast Facts
November 26, 2007
Males and females of certain species of penguins are so similar that even experts have difficulty telling them apart.
Santa Claus is the world’s richest fictional character, according to the last several editions of the “”Forbes Fictional 15.””
The “”dog days”” of summer are so named because the period marks the time of year that Sirius (the Dog Star) is seen rising and setting with the sun.
In 1907, Henri Vallienne published “”Kastelo de Prolongo,”” the first novel written entirely in Esperanto, a failed attempt to unionize European languages.
Every night, Cleopatra had her mattress stuffed with rose petals.
Sports historians believe the football huddle was introduced in 1894 at Gallaudet University, a school for the hearing-impaired.
P.G. Wodehouse named his famous fictional butler Jeeves after Percy Jeeves, a British cricketer who died during World War I.
In 1977, the four members of KISS mixed their blood in with the ink used to print a Marvel comic book featuring the hard-rock band.
The familiar Disney logo was designed by an artist and bears no resemblance to Walt Disney’s real signature.
The largest health care system in the U.S. is operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides services for the nation’s retired military personnel and their families.
In 1950, three Monopoly tokens were changed; the lantern, purse and rocking horse were replaced by the dog, horse-and-rider, and wheelbarrow.
Some craters on the Moon measure as large as 150 meters in diameter.
The earliest Mr. Potato Head packages from the 1950s included many of the same facial features included in today’s version, but not the plastic potato body. Kids were expected to use a real potato.
Contrary to rumor, Charles Manson did not audition for the Monkees; he was imprisoned as the tryouts were held.
The Pentagon has about three times as much floor space as the Empire State Building.
